India should nab militants from Bangladesh: Zia

The PM said that a list of the terrorists was sent to the Indian authorities and New Delhi has assured that it would take action.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has said she expects India to nab militants who have fled the country because of Dhaka's drive against terrorism.

She said her government had sent a list of the terrorists to the Indian authorities. The Indian government had assured her that it would take action against them, the Daily Star newspaper reported.

But the issue of bringing back the terrorists remained undecided, as no extradition treaty exists between the two countries, she told the Jatiyo Sangsad (parliament).

She added that there were no confirmed links between Bangladesh militants and international groups.

Answering a question, the prime minister asserted that many terrorists took shelter in neighbouring India due to the firm anti-terrorism stance of her government.

Zia said there was no confirmation about the country's Islamist militants having international links. When they are established, she would tell the world.

"It is yet to be confirmed whether any international group is involved ..., as the probe is still going on," Zia said, replying to supplementary questions in parliament.

Bangladesh is on the US' watch list for Islamist militancy. Investigations and media reports at home, in India and in the West have carried detailed reports of militant organisations in Bangladesh having links with Pakistan's ISI and with Al Qaeda of Osama bin Laden.

The prime minister claimed that the network of the militants had been broken. "They will not be given any chance to achieve their goals even if they have any link with international group," she asserted.

Khaleda said all members of the Majlish-e-Shura of the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) had already been arrested.

When Jatiya Party lawmaker Hafizuddin Ahmed asked about the steps the government had taken in curbing terrorism, robbery and mugging on the roads, the prime minister claimed, "the country is now free of terrorism".

Although the main opposition Awami League was present in the house, its members did not take part in the prime minister's question-answer session.